An international peer-reviewed open access journal dedicated to the philosophy of life, death, and nature, supported by the Project of Philosophy and Contemporary Society (Tokyo Philosophy Project ), Advanced Research Center for Human Sciences, Waseda University.

ISSN 2185-4505

Aim

The aim of this journal is to promote international dialogue on the philosophy of life. It features original, full-length papers as well as research reports and other relevant materials. Every paper in the journal is published in PDF format and is freely downloadable from this website, the repository of Waseda University , and/or the repository of Osaka Prefecture University .

Philosophy of Life

We define philosophy of life as an academic research field that encompasses the following activities:
1) cross-cultural, comparative, or historical research on philosophies of life, death, and nature.
2) philosophical and ethical analysis of contemporary issues concerning human and non-human life in the age of modern technology.
3) philosophical analysis of the concepts surrounding life, death, and nature.

Our research methods include the interpretative study of particular philosophers, comparative research in the history of ideas, normative approaches to applied ethics, and philosophical-metaphysical-conceptual analysis.

Journal of Philosophy of Life deals with a variety of philosophical issues concerning life, death, and nature, that arise in a wide range of fields including bioethics, environmental ethics, environmental philosophy, religious studies, gender studies, philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, biopolitics, nursing studies, philosophy of education, Holocaust studies, peace studies, and the history of ideas.

List of Articles

Essay“Dehellenization of Thought” and the Philosophy of Life: From the Viewpoints of Leslie Dewart and Masahiro Morioka
Allan SavageJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.8, No.1 (January 2018):20-34
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Volume 7

Special Issue: Nihilism and the Meaning of Life: A Philosophical Dialogue with James Tartaglia

Reply to Adam Balmer
James Tartaglia
Journal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):16-20
[PDF] Open Access

Is Consciousness Transcendent?
: Comments on James Tartaglia’s Philosophy in a Meaningless Life: A System of Nihilism, Consciousness and RealityPhilip GoffJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):21-32
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Reply to Philip Goff
James TartagliaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):33-49
[PDF] Open Access

Nothing but Nihilism?
: The Spirit of Purposelessness in James Tartaglia’s Philosophy in a Meaningless LifeRonald A. KuipersJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):50-69
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Reply to Ronald A. Kuipers
James TartagliaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):70-80
[PDF] Open Access

The Deep Personal Resonance of Nihilism
Tracy LlaneraJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):81-91
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Reply to
Tracy Llanera
James TartagliaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):92-97
[PDF] Open Access

Living in the Frame
: Meaning on Loan from NihilismAlan MalachowskiJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):98-119
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Reply to
Alan Malachowski
James TartagliaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):120-135
[PDF] Open Access

In Search of Perspective
: Notes on Freedom, Transcendence, and Finitude in Tartaglia’s Philosophy in a Meaningless LifeBjørn Torgrim RambergJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):136-151
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Reply to
Bjørn Ramberg
James TartagliaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):152-159
[PDF] Open Access

How Human Life Could be Unintended but Meaningful
: A Reply to TartagliaBrooke Alan TriselJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):160-179
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Reply to
Brooke Alan Trisel
James TartagliaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):180-186
[PDF] Open Access

Reply to
J. J. Valberg
James TartagliaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):195-207
[PDF] Open Access

‘Life is Meaningless.’ Compared to What?
Damian VealJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):208-260
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Reply to
Damian Veal
James TartagliaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):261-278
[PDF] Open Access

Transcendence and Mediation
: From Tartaglia to the Free-Will DebateSho YamaguchiJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):279-304
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Reply to
Sho Yamaguchi
James TartagliaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):305-315
[PDF] Open Access

Book (Including all the above papers) Nihilism and the Meaning of Life
: A Philosophical Dialogue with James Tartaglia
Edited by Masahiro Morioka Journal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.1 (July 2017):1-315 [Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

PaperThe Trolley Problem and the Dropping of Atomic Bombs
Masahiro MoriokaJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.2 (August 2017):316-337
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

PaperDeath to Death: Descartes, Living Bodies, and the Concept of Death
Susan MillsJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.2 (August 2017):338-360
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

EssayThe Being of Death
Jim HansonJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.2 (August 2017):361-376
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

EssayBecoming a Seer: Thoughts on Deleuze, Mindfulness and Feminism
Finn JanningJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.2 (August 2017):377-390
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

EssayMeaning and Fulfilment in Life: The Roles of Criticism, Self-Discovery and Autobiography
Tony SummerJournal of Philosophy of Life Vol.7, No.3 (October 2017):391-405
[Abstract] [PDF] Open Access

Call for Manuscripts

*Call for manuscripts for Vol.8, No.3 (2018): The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2018.

Please see the "Note to Contributors" section below.

Note to Contributors

Manuscripts should be sent to the editor (please send to both of the following addresses: journal[a]philosophyoflife.org and morioka[a]waseda.jp).

Unpublished English manuscripts will be considered for publication. Manuscripts must be written in English and normally should not exceed 8.000 words in length. In exceptional cases longer manuscripts may be published if it is deemed truly necessary.

Manuscripts must include an abstract in English. Abstract must not exceed 150 words in length. Contributor should send information about the author using this format.

Manuscripts should generally follow Chicago Manual of Style. Use of JPL format is also recommended. Submitted WORD files will be converted to a PDF and uploaded with some headers added. Contributors are responsible for the layout of the uploaded file.

We accept the following three categories of manuscripts: papers, essays, and reports. While contributors can designate which category their manuscript should belong to, the final decision will be left to the editors. Papers include original academic papers, preliminary reports, survey papers, and papers which contain a summary or essential elements of a paper or papers that the author has previously published in his or her native languages. Essays include short & long essays and periodical essays. Please note that some manuscripts submitted as papers might be published under the category of preliminary reports, survey papers, or essays.

Manuscripts must be proofread by native English speakers before being submitted. Online editing services are recommended for contributors whose first language is not English.

Manuscripts of papers will be examined by our editorial staff and if promising they will be forwarded to anonymous referees. Manuscripts of essays will be reviewed by the editor(s). We try to give authors our decision within ten weeks. Once accepted,
papers should appear within four weeks on this website. We do not necessarily provide information about referees' comments. Manuscripts submitted by the editors or the members of editorial advisory board will be treated as invited papers/essays and will be reviewed by the editors. (Revised in July 2017).

The copyright of published manuscripts will be the property of Journal of Philosophy of Life. While Journal of Philosophy of Life reserves the right to publish the manuscripts, the authors are allowed to duplicate, print, or upload their manuscripts without permission once they are published in the journal. This means that authors can freely upload their articles to their website, or publish them as a chapter in a book.

We do not charge any open-access fees to contributors.

By submitting their manuscripts all contributors are deemed to have given permission for the publication of their manuscripts on the website of Journal of Philosophy of Life and on the repository of Waseda University .

Editorial Advisory Board

Bertold Bernreuter, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico
Thaddeus Metz, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Christian Steineck, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Mark Zlomislic, Conestoga College, Canada

Bibliographic Data

Title: Journal of Philosophy of LifeISSN: 2185-4505 Place of Publication: School of Human Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa-shi, Saitama, 3591192 Japan. (Former Place of Publication: Research Institute for Environmental Philosophy and Philosophical Anthropology, Research Organization for the 21st Century, Osaka Prefecture University. Gakuencho 1-1, Naka-ku, Sakai-shi, Osaka, 5998531 Japan). Publisher: Project of Philosophy and Contemporary Society (Tokyo Philosophy Project), Advanced Research Center for Human Sciences, Waseda University.Editor-in-chief: Masahiro Morioka Email: journal[a]philosophyoflife.org
*The first issue of the journal was published on March 24, 2011. This website was established on April 9, 2010.